Sepsis Alliance Welcomes Villiers Terblanche to Board of Directors

Sepsis kills more than 350,000 adults in the United States every year. In 2023, one of them was Sam Terblanche, a 20-year-old college junior with a bright future ahead of him. Today, Sepsis Alliance is honored to announce the appointment of Villiers Terblanche, Sam’s father, to its Board of Directors. Mr. Terblanche brings both deep professional expertise and a profound personal commitment to preventing further unnecessary sepsis-related deaths.

Mr. Terblanche spent decades as a New York-qualified corporate law partner at Latham & Watkins, the U.S. law firm, where he focused on infrastructure development and regulatory reform. His life took a profound turn in late 2023 when his oldest son, Sam, died from sepsis shortly after the emergency department of a major New York hospital overrode its electronic sepsis alert and discharged him for the second night in a row with a diagnosis of “acute viral syndrome.”

“Life changed for our family when Sam’s emergency room sepsis alert was quickly dismissed,” Mr. Terblanche said. “We were suddenly brought into a world we knew nothing about, one where awareness and timely diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death. I am committed to helping ensure that what happened to Sam does not happen to other families.”

Motivated by this loss, Mr. Terblanche decided to shift his career toward patient safety and advocacy. He returned to university to earn a Master of Science in Health Law and Strategy from New York University, building on his Master of Law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and his LLD (PhD) from the University of Pretoria. He now brings this deep legal expertise, strategic insight, and personal dedication to the Sepsis Alliance Board of Directors.

“VT brings a powerful combination of professional rigor, personal passion, and a commitment to advancing change,” said Steven Simpson, MD, Sepsis Alliance Board Chair. “His legal experience in regulatory reform and the lived reality of losing his son to sepsis, will strengthen our mission and guide our efforts to improve early recognition and treatment nationwide”

“We are honored to welcome Villiers to the Board,” added Thomas Heymann, President and CEO of Sepsis Alliance. “His perspective and leadership will be invaluable as we work to expand awareness, improve patient outcomes, and advocate for solutions that save lives.

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to infection and takes a life every 90 seconds in the United States. As the organization continues expanding its national impact, Terblanche’s expertise will help deepen Sepsis Alliance’s advocacy, policy, and awareness efforts, particularly around improving hospital systems and ensuring earlier recognition of sepsis.

For more information about Sepsis Alliance, visit Sepsis.org.

Learn more about VT here.

Read more about the Terblanche family’s experience here.